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Monday, October 3, 2011

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup with Sauteed Greens

We were both working this week and unable to cook together, so I suggested, more as a challenge to myself, a crock pot recipe. I am crock pot challenged, even when Claire helps get everything together, but this time it turned out. I think. At the very least, it was not only edible but palatable and appetizing! Claire, I should note, reads her crock pot cookbooks from start to finish, and knows all sorts of things about keeping the lid on, not overfilling, etc. I tend to skip those parts of cookbooks, and so I end up peeking halfway through and somehow ruining the dish. It doesn't seem like that would make a difference, but it does. I'd say this is a great addition to the chili family, this one with a little ole! Our first recipe in a while with no zucchini! It got good reviews from the family, with very few leftovers.

Crock Pot Tortilla SoupYou can serve this with tortillas, tortilla chips, brown rice, or in my case, sauteed cabbage and spinach! The taco seasoning is adapted slightly from allrecipes.com. It tastes like the mix you buy in the store, but you know what's going into it. We also were able to adjust the cumin flavor, and turn down the heat a little bit for the kids. This is easy to make vegetarian by substituting TVP for the ground meat and using vegetable broth instead.

Toppings:green onionsshredded cheesecrushed chipsGreek yogurt or sour creamsqueeze of limeDump everything in the crock pot, except the toppings. Stir only once. Close the crock pot lid and turn on low heat. Do not open for 4 hours. DO NOT OVER FILL. If the crock pot is more than 2/3 full it will not have enough room to create steam and won't cook properly.

Sauteed GreensI can't stand having a meal with nothing green. So I had to throw this together. I put a big scoop in the bottom of the bowl and ladled the soup over it. Delicious, and only takes about 4-5 minutes to cook!

3 c shredded cabbage
2 cups chopped spinach
1 clove minced garlic

Heat 2 tsp oil in a sautee pan. Add garlic once the oil is hot enough to sizzle. Add the cabbage and stir, being careful not to burn. Add liquid as necessary. Add the spinach as the cabbage is starting to wilt. Salt if necessary, but remember you're serving this with soup!